While the legal requirements for an “Open Internet” may change, our commitment to providing quality services at affordable rates, and to bringing broadband to as many members as we can, remain consistent.  Our greatest system of checks and balances and consumer protections is our Cooperative structure of democratic control by the members.  We are here to serve you, not to profit by blocking you from accessing the lawful Internet content of your choice.

Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative, Inc. (“Mid-Rivers” or “Company”), as a broadband service provider, hereby discloses to the public the network management practices, performance characteristics, and commercial terms of our broadband Internet services as required by the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) Transparency Rule.

In select areas, the Company may offer Internet services to end users through a resale arrangement.  As a reseller of the service, Mid-Rivers has no control over the network management practices enforced by wholesale providers, including Viasat satellite services. For detailed information on the Viasat network management practices and performance characteristics, please visit www.viasat.com.

Network Management Practices

Mid-Rivers does not currently employ any network management practices that would affect a customer’s Internet experience or ability to access any specific applications, unless specifically requested by a customer and then only on an individual-customer basis.  The Company’s Internet customers can: access the lawful Internet content of their choice, run applications and use services of their choice (subject to the needs of law enforcement), connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network, and access the network providers, application and service providers, and content providers of their choice.

Blocking

The only customer traffic we block is inbound or outbound traffic that has been identified as malicious by third-party security equipment.

Throttling

The Company’s terrestrial fixed broadband Internet offerings include unlimited plans with usage-based billing, or, in limited areas, plans with a monthly data usage allowance (combined downstream and upstream) starting at 300 Gigabytes (GB), with higher allowances available depending on the plan selected.  These plans are not subject to usage limits that result in blocked access or restricted speeds. Customers can purchase additional data access with no interruption of service or throttling of speeds.  While the Company may recommend to customers steps that can be taken to control their own data usage amount based on application settings or other factors, the Company itself does not limit or restrict traffic flow based on factors such as video resolution (i.e., customers may watch streaming video at whatever resolution they prefer, subject only to the limitations of their connection speed).

From time to time, the Company may rate-limit some incoming connections to a customer when they are the confirmed target of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, if the traffic congestion due to that attack begins impacting the flow of traffic for other customers.

Affiliated Prioritization / Paid Prioritization

The Company does not prioritize the Internet traffic of its own services or affiliates, or the traffic of any third parties, over any other network traffic.  While customers may choose to purchase a higher-speed connection to access the Internet at a faster speed, there are no “Internet fast lanes” offered by Mid-Rivers to any other companies to prioritize their traffic over the traffic of others.

Congestion Management

From time to time, the Company may rate-limit some incoming connections to a customer when they are the confirmed target of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, if the traffic congestion due to that attack begins impacting the flow of traffic for other customers.

Application-Specific Behavior

As part of our normal billing processes, Mid-Rivers does identify services, including Bittorrent, being used and may from time to time send targeted notices to certain users to ensure they are informed and aware of the Company’s Copyright Repeat Infringer Policy.  The Company does not restrict access to this or any other applications, unless specifically requested by a customer and then only on an individual-customer basis.

Device Attachment Rules

Where applicable, Mid-Rivers Internet customers are required to use a modem provided by Mid-Rivers to insure service quality and provide appropriate customer support. Mid-Rivers does not currently have any other restrictions on the types of legal devices that can be connected to our Internet network. Customers may connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network. Mid-Rivers will work with each customer and each device on a case-by-case basis to resolve any connection issues that may arise. Any such connection issues are due to the capabilities of the device itself and are not a result of any network management practices by Mid-Rivers.

Security

Mid-Rivers utilizes reasonable network management practices to help ensure the security of our network for our Internet customers and other customers that may receive data from the end-users on our network. Examples of the reasonable network management activities that are employed by Mid-Rivers include: monitoring of services to detect malicious Internet traffic and prevent the distribution of harmful viruses or content, identifying Bittorrent users to ensure such customers are aware of the risks associated with that service, preventing the delivery of SPAM to our customers’ accounts, and preventing the sending of SPAM by our customers. Customers may choose to opt out of SPAM filtering services, and have the option to adjust their individual SPAM filter settings. Customers have access to all filtered content through their emailGUARD Dashboard, which is accessible from the Mid-Rivers homepage and from emailGUARD Digest e-mail messages sent to each customer (unless the customer opts out of receiving these Digest messages). To learn more about our emailGUARD filtering service, customers may visit our Support Page.

Occasionally, Mid-Rivers will receive a complaint that a Mid-Rivers Internet customer has a computer, server or router that is configured in such a way that other Internet users have noticed SPAM or other harmful network traffic coming from that device, or that the device is being used to access content illegally. Such reports will trigger a notification from Mid-Rivers to the end-user customer, and we will work with that customer to resolve the potential security concerns.

Performance Characteristics

Service Description

Mid-Rivers serves a very large, sparsely-populated geographic area. As a result, not all Internet technologies or speeds are available in every area. The availability of a specific technology or service type is dependent upon a customer’s geographic location and, in some cases, the customer’s location in relationship to the location of the deployed facilities. The diversity of facilities deployed throughout the large Mid-Rivers service area precludes the presentation of a simple matrix showing service availability in any specific area, but customer-specific information about choices among technologies and services available in any specific location is available by contacting Mid-Rivers at 1-800-452-2288 or sending an email to customerservice@midrivers.coop.

The matrix below in the “Commercial Terms” section summarizes the required service description disclosures by the type of technology used to provide the service. This information details those service offerings that are generally commercially available depending on a customer’s location at the current time. All services offered provide speeds and latency suitable for real-time applications (please visit www.viasat.com for information regarding the performance characteristics of resold satellite Internet services).

Impact of Non-Broadband Internet Access (Non-BIAS) Data Services

The Company offers managed or “non-BIAS data” services over our network, such as Unified Communications voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, that may share network capacity with other Internet services.  The data requirements of these services are minimal and have no effect on the last-mile capacity available for, or the performance of, the Company’s Internet access services.

Commercial Terms

Price

Mid-Rivers’ standard monthly Internet rates and usage-based fees for current commercially-available Internet offerings are summarized in the table below.  Additional service offerings may be available on an individual case basis.   The Company’s Wide Open Internet offering does not include an “advertised” speed, but instead offers the fastest Internet speed possible at the customer’s location based on the capability of the facilities at that location.  Wide Open Internet is only deployed on Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) or cable modem facilities, so these connections are typically capable of speeds up to 1 Gbps downstream (actual speeds as measured during peak hours are detailed in the “Technology” section below). These plans offer unlimited usage, and customers pay a base monthly rate for the connection plus a per Gigabyte (GB) usage fee billed in one GB increments (downstream and upstream combined usage), up to a capped monthly price as detailed below.  After the rate cap, all usage is unlimited, with no throttling of speeds and no action required by the customer. Plans with a usage allowance are charged an overage fee of $10 per 50 GB with a minimum overage fee of $10.

Technology

Customers on plans with usage-based fees or monthly usage allowances may access their current usage information (provided on a monthly, daily, hourly and application-detail level) at any time through the My Mid-Rivers (SmartHub) app or secure online portal.  Usage trends for the previous 12 months and application-specific usage are also provided to customers on monthly billing statements.

Equipment fees may apply if equipment such as modem, router, or mesh unit(s) is taken from the premises where it was originally installed by Company or is destroyed through actions other than normal wear and tear.  There is no early termination fee or contract requirement for the Internet services. 

Privacy Policies

While working with a customer to troubleshoot connection issues or other matters, Mid-Rivers may occasionally collect information on network traffic specific to that particular incident. This information is used only for network troubleshooting purposes, and only information on packet source, destination, and port number is collected. Packet payload information (information other than the header information) is not examined in this process. During communications with the Company for remote support of Managed Wi-Fi Service, Company may also access information about customer premise equipment (such as computers and Wi-Fi devices) or other device settings to provide customized technical support or install specific applications or services for customer use.

This information is not stored by Mid-Rivers, provided to any third party, or utilized for any other purpose such as marketing. Application-specific usage information is provided to customers on billing statements and through their secure online account access portal for the customer’s benefit.  The Company may also identify Bittorrent usage as part of our normal billing processes and may from time to time contact users of that service to insure they are informed and aware of the Company’s Copyright Repeat Infringer Policy.  Learn more about the privacy of all your Mid-Rivers information in our Company Privacy Policy.

Redress Options (Questions & Complaints)

Mid-Rivers takes seriously and responds to all complaints about our subscribers’ use of the Internet. This includes complaints by both the Company’s subscribers and complaints by other Internet users. The Company believes that its customers should be able to enjoy full use of the Internet without interference by persons who use the Internet in an improper or unlawful manner. Mid-Rivers will respond to any complaint from end-users and content or application providers following the Complaint Response Procedures described below.

How to Submit a Complaint

Complaints may be submitted by:

• E-Mail to  customerservice@midrivers.coop (preferred)
• Fax to 406-485-2924
• Mail to PO Box 280, Circle, MT 59215

What Information Should be Submitted

• If you wish to register a network management complaint with our Company, you should submit the following information:
• A detailed description of the activities involved
• The dates the activities took place, e.g., the date and time that a possible network management concern was observed

If you have any questions regarding this Open Internet Policy, please call Mid-Rivers at 1-800-452-2288.  For additional information on the terms, conditions, and online policies applicable to Mid-Rivers Internet customers, please review the Mid-Rivers Internet Service Agreement and Online Policies that can also be found on this website.

Last Updated: November 13, 2024